Finding Home in Her Eyes
by ChickenLove33
Summary: Summary: He was the guy that always managed to make the worst possible decision. He was the guy that fell in love with his brother's girl. Unrequited Love Roman/Jess Pairing.
1. Chapter 1

**_Author Note: I don't own anything! _**

**_: Thank you so much for reading and please leave feedback!_**

_His eyes burned and his lip felt thick from the repeated punches that left swollen purple marks across his face. The two burly officers that he recognized from the bar fight that made him a temporary resident at SFPD each held one of his biceps and led him carefully to a gray door labeled Conference Tw in bold letters.. _

_The younger officer that he identified as Officer Green pulled the door open and set him with a stare that warned him to be on his best behavior._

_"Ms. Bradley will call us as soon as she is done with you. You will not move from your seat or take anything unless it is offered to you by Ms. Bradley or by the SFPD, understood?" Officer Green spoke slowly and carefully like he was talking to a handicapped child._

_Roman nodded and he was led inside the room that housed a double paneled glass window, a simple wooden desk, and two chairs._

_Sitting on one of the hard chairs was a woman. Her pale skin would have been unflattering on most women, but her skin had a healthy glow that made her luminous eyes appear a brilliant shade of emerald. Her thick hair was the color of chestnut and it framed her delicate face. She was sitting with her hands clasped over a rather thick manila folder that had his name in bold letters. _

_She stood up smoothly extending her hand to shake and offering him a smile that showed off her pearly white teeth. She made a motion for him to sit and he dropped heavily into the chair never taking his eyes away from her face._

"_I'm Jessica Bradley, I was sent from Garrison and McCone in Law. Your father contacted us and asked to have your case be handled discreetly and quickly as possible. May I get you anything to drink before we start?" Her voice was as soft and smooth as water and he felt like a man long denied a drink._

_Her polite smile slowly slipped from her lips as he continued to stare intently at her. His voice felt scratchy and raw as he spoke, "Do you have a smoke?"_

"_It's a nasty habit that I can't seem to shake." She said laughing softly pulling a cigarette from a small silver case in her bag._

"_Some nasty habits aren't meant to be broken…" He said raking his eye's down past her eyes to the soft pink blouse that hugged her small frame in all the right places._

_"Let's get down to business, shall we? Give me the details to how this debate started with Mr. Ferguson." Jessica said coughing lightly to break the heavy tension in the room. Roman smiled in satisfaction as he admired her blushing cheeks._

_"That piece of shit had it coming." Roman said before taking a heavy drag from his cigarette._

"_Can you tell me how this all played out?" _

"_I was having a few drinks while I was chatting up one of the girls at the bar. This asshole came up and started shooting his mouth off" Roman shifted in his chair feeling the weight of her stare. "We exchanged some words after he accused me of trying to fuck his girl. He didn't like what I said and he tried to push me off the stool. I tried to leave to avoid conflict, but he chased me out the door, shoved me into the wall near my car, and pulled a knife. The outcome of the fight you can see in your photos."_

_Jessica murmured her thanks once he finished his story and preceded to write notes on a yellow note pad. He took the opportunity to admire her dainty hands as she brushed away stray locks of hair from her face. He couldn't help but feel a sense of satisfaction when he noticed that she lacked any type of ring on her left hand. _

"_Is my father planning on posting my bail so I can get outta this dump?" He said already knowing the answer to his question since his father wouldn't want to deal with his less than perfect son._

"_He wants an update on the situation before he decides. Do you know the name of the woman you were speaking to that evening, Mr. Bryson? It would be beneficial for us to get statements from witnesses and any footage from the security cameras at the bar." Jessica said looking up from her notes. _

"_Mandy or Sandy... I wasn't worried about learning her name, Jessica." He asked with a smirk slowly covering his lips. "May I call you Jessica?" _

"_I think it hardly matters due to how quickly you seem to forget a women's name, Mr. Bryson… Or are we on first name basis now, Roman?" She said raising a perfectly manicured eyebrow in a challenge._

_He smirked at her and admired the fire he could see underneath her professional demeanor. He noticed that she quickly dropped her gaze and started going through some of the photos that were taken at the crime scene._

_"What about the hammer and where did it come from?" She said holding a photo of a hammer covered in blood taken at the crime scene._

"_He took it from one of his buddies that were waiting to ambush me. I wasn't really paying attention to all the details." _

"_You originally mentioned that he pulled a knife and attacked you, but I don't see a knife anywhere at the scene." She stared intently at him trying to force the truth from him. "Where did the hammer come from, Roman?"_

_His breath caught in his throat as she leaned forward on the table laying her palms flat. The tips of her chestnut hair brushing the surface of the table. He was green with envy at the contact._

"_Roman, I can't help you unless you give me ALL of the details…. Whatever you're hiding will eventually come out. I want to help you so please be straight with me." _

_Roman leaned forward lifting his bound hands so they rested on the table nearly brushing her resting hands. He almost smiled as she flinched from the close contact and he took the opportunity to catch her eyes in an unrelenting stare. "How about a question for a question? It's not fair that you get to ask all of them."_

_She frowned as she tried to calculate his next move, "Roman I'm here to help you, I'm not trying to deceive you, but I can't defend you if I don't know all of the details."_

"_Deal or no deal?"_

"_What do you want to know?" She signed deeply as she leaned back in her chair awaiting the onslaught of questions._

"_Hmm. Well, I already know that you're not married. I expect it's because you are a workaholic and you don't have a social life. Too busy climbing the company latter… Probably the reason you're so eager to help me." _

"_This is ridiculous." She said with an annoyed huff. "Where did the hammer come from, Roman?"_

"_Mmm, you look so delicious when you're angry." He said mockingly and after a brief pause, "Do you have family, children, or a boyfriend waiting for you at home?"_

"_That's an inappropriate question! I can't discuss my personal life with you." Her voice was slightly high pitched and he raised an eyebrow in amusement._

"_Goody two shoes, I see… Our deal was that I can ask a question for every question that you ask me."_

"_You do realize that I can walk out of here now and leave you to rot in that cell, right?"_

"_You won't. Just answer the question."_

"…_. No kids. No dad. Currently single because I work long hours and I don't have time to date…. And my mom died from breast cancer two years ago." Jessica said suddenly looking tired. Her restless hands rose to tie her long hair into a messy bun atop of her head. The loose hairs fell onto her exposed neck and Roman had to resist the urge to run his fingers down the column of her smooth throat._

_Her hazel eyes met his green eyes and he felt the room around them fade till it was just the two of them. He knew she genuinely wanted to help him, but did he deserve the kindness? His life was a constant cycle of fuck-ups and misjudgments. Maybe he should be left to rot… He wasn't sorry for the fight or the carnage he caused. He almost took a man's life and he felt nothing. No sorrow or remorse. _

_Suddenly he was ripped from his thoughts by a soft warm hand gently holding his much larger callused hand. His eyes trailed up the arm till he stared into Jessica's eyes and he felt like he was home. "Let me help you…please."_

_Suddenly he did something that was out of character for him. He was babbling about how he met Frank Ferguson and how hostile their relationship was. How he came into the bar throwing his weight around, how he tried to physically provoke him, and how he followed him out of the bar to his car. He explained how Frank and a few of his goons jumped him from behind. And… how he took a hammer from his car and preceded to beat Frank till someone pulled him off. _

_He expelled the air from his lungs suddenly feeling every exposed under her watchful gaze. He raised his eyes to meet hers and was rewarded with a small smile that made his heart flutter. "Okay, well, I think we can get you off on self-defense, BUT the fact that you went and got a weapon is going to hinder things a bit. I'm going to go ahead and get the information from witnesses and the video footage from the bar. If you felt that your life was threatened that will work in our favor."_

_She started to pack her belongings into the briefcase, "I'm going to be back tomorrow or the following day to update you on what I have for us. I think we have a chance to win this."_

_She started to walk past him and he felt his arms swing out to catch her hand in his bound hands. She immediately stopped to look at him and he stood to stand in front of her. He ignored the look of fear that quickly immersed itself in her eyes as he towered above her delicate frame. _

"_Thank you." He would have thought that it was a different man speaking if he didn't see his own reflection staring back at him in her eyes. _

_She smiled shyly before gently pulling her hands away from his and walked to the door knocking to signal to the two waiting officers outside that she wanted out. Before she left she shoot him a lingering glance before she walked out._


	2. Chapter 2

_**Author Note: Thank you so much for reading! I really want to thank WaspInterprizes and Nachtigall22 for your kind reviews! I really can't find any words to express how pleased and excited I am that you liked the first chapter to this story. I've been working on this second chapter for a week now and I'm not 100 percent happy with it. I've rewrote it and tried different things but I keep coming back to this. I hope you will enjoy it and I will have the next chapter up soon! Thanks again and happy reading!**_

_Roman felt every moment of the passing days as he waited for Jessica to come back. He was almost giddy with excitement as he imagined her in her tight blouse, hair loose, and looking at him the same way he knew he looked at her. Like she was the entire world._

_He spent the days working out all of his excess energy going over scenario after scenario of their next meeting. He imagined that they would win the case and he would ask her out on a date, he imagined his family's reaction as he brought home a woman to be proud of, he imagined Jessica displaying a baby bump and wearing his ring on her delicate hand, and most of all he imagined that when she looked at him he would see love radiating from her eyes. _

_A loud clang knocked him to his senses and he turned to see Officer Green waiting patiently with his cuffs resting in his hand. "Miss Bryant is here to see you, Roman."_

_Roman practically cuffed himself and pulled the officer down the hall to the conference room where he knew she would be waiting. He nervously brushed at his hair and tried in vain to smooth the wrinkles out of his clothes ignoring the look from the amused officer._

"_Boy, with a girl like that... You are going to have to do a helluva lot more to impress her. Boy's like us don't win women like that…" Officer Green's words earned him a world class sneer that would have sent a lesser man back a few steps._

"_I'm not interested in a woman like that…" His words sounded false even to his own ears._

_Finally after what felt like hours they were in front of Conference Room A. Officer Green gave a quick set of tabs on the door and opened it so Roman could step through. Roman ignored the man's raised eyebrow and whispered encouragement._

_Jessica stood in front of him dazzling in a grey pencil skirt, white blouse, and five inched heeled pair of nude pumps. She had her chestnut hair in a side bun and glasses graced her delicate face. She looked every bit of the sexy librarian that he imagined._

_He felt his body turn to stone as he watched the worst possible scenario come to life right before his eyes. She stood before him laughing happily as his older brother told her some joke or story that sent her into a fit of giggles. _

_Roman felt like he just got sucker punched in the throat. Shock was his first emotion and then he felt pure unadulterated anger. For as long as he could remember he was frequently told that he should act like Ryan, talk like Ryan, and be as considerate as Ryan. Now Ryan was moving in on what he considered to be his._

_Ryan noticed him first and happily gestured for him to move closer. "Little bro! Come on and see what Jess has planned for us!"_

_**~Jess? Us? ~**_

"_Well look what the cat dragged in… When did you two meet?" He almost flinched at how cold his voice sounded._

_Jessica turned around to grace him with her beautiful smile and shyly gestured to Ryan saying, "Ryan has been consulting with me so that I have a better understanding of your life. He wants to go before the judge and give a testimony."_

"_You picked the perfect boy scout! Ryan loves to make everyone think that life is nothing but sunshine and rainbows," He said mockingly. "But you could have asked me instead."_

"_We all need something to believe in and I like to believe that there is a lot of good people in the world. My impulsive little brother included… even if you can't tell by his tough guy exterior." Ryan countered._

"_That's wonderful to hear especially when you are in my profession. Sometimes it can feel like there is nothing but doom and gloom in the world." Jessica said._

"_Maybe you need to step out of your world for a night. Let a struggling artist take you out to a nice dinner, walk on the beach, and maybe repay you for doing a great job taking care of his beloved brother." Ryan said looking every bit as vanilla as Roman thought he would be. _

_Roman interrupted Jessica causing her to jump in surprise as he openly scoffed at his brother's suggestion. "You couldn't afford her brother. Plus, she's a workaholic with a smoking addiction. I can already see the relationship bursting into flames! The Boy Scout being corrupted by the big bad criminal lawyer! What would daddy say?"_

"_Excuse me! Don't talk about me as if I'm not in the room." Jessica nearly shouted as she stepped up to his chest her dainty finger pressing into the hard muscles of his abdomen. They faced off as he continued to smirk and she looked up at him fuming with anger. _

"_Okay you two… Jess, Roman absolutely delights in getting people riled up. He doesn't mean anything by it." Ryan said gently pulling Jessica's hand away from Roman and walking her back to a safe distance as she continued glaring at Roman._

"_Hey Jess. Can you get me a cigarette? I know you're probably anxious for a good long drag after talking to my brother. He can be such a downer at times." His smirk widened as she looked ready to pounce on him. "You can share one with me, babe."_

_If looks could kill Roman knew he would have exploded into flames but he couldn't help but feel a sense of satisfaction knowing that he had her full attention. She grudgingly pulled a cigarette out of her small silver case and nearly threw it at his face. _

"_I wouldn't have thought you were a smoker." Ryan said with a smile. Roman knew he was disgusted by it and hated when women smoked._

"_It's a bad habit that I picked during my last year of school," Jessica replied looking slightly embarrassed. "I'm trying to quit!" She added quickly._

_Roman walked slowly over to where they stood finally noticing that Jessica stood in front of a white board that had photographs pinned over every inch of available space other than where bits of writing stood out. "What's this?"_

"_I got the photos from the security cameras and testimonies from witnesses that say you were at the bar when Mr. Ferguson started to harass you. Better yet they are willing to testify." Jessica said with a toothy grin as she pointed to each photo looking very much like a game show host. _

_He would have smiled at her enthusiasm but his face felt stiff as his brother cut in front of them to give Jessica a high five and to congratulate her on a job well done._

_Roman walked away from them taking a heavy drag from the cigarette that he held in his shaky hands. He pretended that he didn't notice Ryan lay his hands on Jessica's shoulders, he pretended that he didn't see how comfortable she looked in his embrace, and he definitely pretended that he didn't hear his brother repeat his offer to take her out for a celebratory dinner. _

"_Thank you, but it's not final yet… Roman, what do you think?" Jessica said as she peeked her head around his brother's shoulder._

"_I thought you said you would be here days ago. What am I paying you for if you don't keep your word? How can I trust that you are going to do what you say if you can't do as you promised?" Roman felt his mouth move as he practically snarled at her. He knew he was being cruel, but how could he not revert back into old habits when his darling big brother was near to steal the show?_

"_I-I just wanted to come back with good news or something substantial to reward you with. I apologize that I took longer than you expected." She said stumbling over her words. Confusion was plainly written all over her face as she looked to him and then to Ryan for an explanation._

"_Ease up a little man. She's doing the best that she can." Ryan said as he clasped Roman firmly on the shoulder. "She's going to win this case. You'll see..." _

"_What the fuck? Am I a fucking dog to you? You want to reward me like a fucking dog? Listen you snobby bitch don't you fucking speak to me like I'm less than you!" Roman shook off Ryan's hand and closed in on Jessica encasing her between his body and the table. _

_He stood so close that he could smell the floral perfume that she wore and the vanilla shampoo that she must have used on her hair. He stared deeply into her eyes admiring the flecks of brown that he could see._

_She put a hand on his chest and tried to firmly push him away from her. Her attempt barely left an imprint on his chest. "You need to back away from me right now!" She said loudly trying to cover the fear he heard in her voice. _

_Before he could move or apologize hands wrapped themselves around his biceps forcefully throwing him back into the nearest wall. He seen red, he felt nothing but rage, and he wanted to hurt someone for all the pain he felt in his twenty-nine years on this wretched planet. _

_He was suddenly hitting something or someone with his cuffed hands. He felt the sticky wetness and heard the dull thud of flesh against flesh. He heard a woman screaming and he suddenly felt hands pull him up and give him a sharp slap to the face. He focused to see Officer Green lying underneath his body, his face covered in blood and his eyes rapidly swelling shut. He looked up into Ryan's shocked face and turned his head to see Jess huddled near the corner of the room hands up to cover her mouth. He saw nothing but revulsion in her eyes._

"_Roman! What the hell!" Ryan tried to pull him away. He stumbled closer to where Jessica stood as Ryan tried to wake the injured officer. _

_He stumbled over his words as she backed further away from him. "I-I-I… Fuck! Listen-I." He tried to force out something to say, something that would convey his feeling, but he heard the pounding of feet on cement and knew his time was short as several officers ran into the room to apprehend him._

_As he was being pulled away he tried to apologize with his eyes, he tried to tell her he was enraged because she was his. Ryan was touching his girl! She was his girl! If only she could see…_


End file.
